This weekend, as you celebrate Memorial Day with your family and friends, I hope you take a few moments to reflect on the meaning of this holiday, honor the memories of our fallen servicemen and women, and thank the families whose sons and daughters cannot be with us today due to their service abroad. Their sacrifice makes our freedom and prosperity possible, and we have a duty to serve them as they have served us. That is why at the State Treasurer's Office we have partnered with local lenders to offer low-interest Citizen Soldier loans to military personnel who need help making ends meet before or after deployment. Children who lose a parent in the war on terror are eligible for our Fallen Heroes Scholarships. For more information join our Fallen Heroes Facebook group.These are the small ways we give back to those who serve, sacrifice and fight on our behalf. You can give back, too, by helping us spread the word about these worthwhile programs. Forward this email to friends and family in the Armed Forces, Military Reserves or National Guard, and together we can ensure that our servicemen and women, and their children, remain financially secure.

Monday, May 10, 2010

President Barack Obama applauds with Vice President Joe Biden while introducing Solicitor General Elena Kagan as his choice to be the nation's 112th Supreme Court justice during an event in the East Room of the White House on Monday in Washington, DC. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the former Harvard Law School dean would be the first justice to join the high court without prior judicial experience since William Rehnquist in 1972. Kagan was selected by Obama to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Remember that press release from earlier today from the Illinois Republican Party?…State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is holding a press conference at Granite Innovation today for his Senate campaign. While the stated purpose of the event is to promote Giannoulias’ “new agenda to help Illinois families balance increased challenges between working to make ends meet and raising children,” perhaps the State Treasurer could ask his hosts to pay the $26,446 they owe the State of Illinois in back taxes.

Turns out, the business in question didn’t have a back tax bill. Oops. From a press release…

STATEMENT BY GIANNOULIAS CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN MATT MCGRATH ON KIRK/ILLINOIS GOP’S MALICIOUS SMEAR OF SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

“Mark Kirk and his Republican allies hit a new low today, spreading an irresponsible, malicious lie in order to smear an Illinois small business owner in the furtherance of a political agenda, and the only honorable thing for Congressman Kirk to do is to repudiate his party chairman, Pat Brady, and apologize to Ms. Dandamudi immediately.“Today’s event, hosted by Ms. Dandamudi, was intended to foster a discussion of the issues facing women and families, and was successful - notwithstanding the Illinois Republican Party’s false claims apparently intended to drown out the discussion of important issues. By participating in the process, telling her story, and showcasing her successful small business, Ms. Dandamudi, who is also a single mother, deserves better than to be maliciously and falsely smeared, particularly on behalf of a politician like Mark Kirk, who seeks to represent her in the U.S. Senate. This kind of drive-by, cheap shot, substance-free attack is exactly what is wrong with our political process, but exactly what a Washington insider like Mark Kirk traffics in. Alexi is proud to be running for Senate to be a voice for people like Ms. Dandamudi and the countless others like her who are looking for leadership and solutions to the problems they face everyday, not more of the same political games.”

"And this is the cause of my life -- new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American -- north, south, east, west, young, old -- will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege. "Ted Kennedy